


Dana Kobayashi: Only Time Can Tell

by alexhn12_AA



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Dead People, F/M, Fainting, Food, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Implied Sexual Content, Knives, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, Nausea, Rating: PG13, Swords, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29083533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexhn12_AA/pseuds/alexhn12_AA
Summary: Thor lost his arm saving the universe from Thanos.Dana Kobayashi is coping with both the new world in front of her and the loss of her ex, Steve.Her goal: join the Avengers and make the world a better place. Only...there's one slight problem.She's falling for the Winter Soldier, hard and fast.Will she succeed? Will her feelings get in the way as Bucky starts to open up?Only time can tell.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Post Training

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends! I hope you enjoy this fic I've been working on. My friend convinced me to put it on this site. I also hope you enjoy reading about Dana as much as I enjoy writing her!
> 
> *Quick note: this is a PG-13 fic. There is a PG-13 description of two bodies (I will add a note at the beginning of the relevant chapter) and some PG-13 violence (some blood, no fatal injuries, no gore). All relevant trigger warnings and content warnings are in the tags. Feel free to tell me any other tags that need to be added*
> 
> Alright, now for the important stuff:  
> * Dana Kobayashi and Lilly Castano are original characters owned by me.  
> * All other characters are owned by Marvel/Disney  
> * This is an AU based loosely off of the final two Avengers films in combination with a comic arc I learned about from a Tumblr post

It was a lovely morning in the middle of May. Dana Kobayashi was sitting on a bench at the edge of the Avengers complex, her back against a mighty basswood tree as she watched the final white juneberry petals flutter off in the breeze. A few bees buzzed around a clump of bloodroot and landed on the water dish her sister had placed for them. Birdsong rang out from above her and the Hudson sparkled at the bottom of the hill.

She sighed and pushed strands of her long black hair away from her face. She froze mid-movement as she heard the crunch of gravel from the other side of the tree. Her hand twitched for the knife strapped to her thigh, but she reminded herself, _I'm at the Avengers facility. Nothing gets in without authorization_.

She then realized whose steps they were. These deterministic, heavy, methodical footsteps could only be made with military-issue boots that were trying to be heard.

_Barnes._

She turned her head just in time to see him approaching her sanctuary. Bucky Barnes. The Winter Soldier himself. Her heart stopped; his once-choppy brown hair had recently been cut short and faded to his neck, though he kept the top longer and tousled. It perfectly framed his burning eyes. His stubbled jaw was so tense and defined that she swore she could cut butter with it. He wasn't in his black training attire; he had switched into a dark green t-shirt, a black hoodie, and black jeans, and boy did it look good on him. His gold and gunmetal hand gleamed in the sun; she winced as she remembered how easily he had cracked the concrete near her head that morning. The fear in his voice as he told her they were done for the day...how unlike him.

The former assassin was getting closer. She finally decided to speak up, crossing her arms as she did so. "Do you mind explaining what you're doing scaring innocent women half to death with your...skulking?"

He stopped a few feet away from the bench. "I was looking for you," he replied. He was tense, more than usual.

She lookes over her shoulder to him. "You don't need to apologize for anything, you know. It was an accident."

Bucky paused like she had interrupted his thoughts and the extra tension dropped from his shoulders. "I...thank you."

"Of course. Anyways, what's up?"

He came closer, but still kept away from where she was sitting. "I was going to ask if you wanted to train more in-depth with melee starting today." His voice was the perfect balance of raspy, deep, and authoritative; if only it wasn't asking about training.

"I uh...I'm not sure if it's a good idea," Dana said apprehensively.

"I promise I won't crack any concrete. But you need to know what to do if your knives get knocked away."

"I mean, I have _powers_ , Barnes," she retorted. "But fine. I'll learn how to use my hands." She saw his eyes widen a little and she chuckled. "What time are you planning on kicking my ass then?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"I'm never ready for training, but three should give me enough time to prepare and relax."

Bucky smirked a little. "Sounds great."

Dana looked away to try and hide her growing blush; she realized she had been playing with some of her hair while they spoke. The sound of screaming tugged her back into the moment. She jumped to her feet, her heart pounding, and she looked over the hill...to see her sister and her boyfriend playing in the river.

That was when a large ball of water landed on her head from where it was suspended above her.

"LILLY YOU IMP!"


	2. Tea And An Ear

Three weeks passed since their private encounter and Dana slowly took to melee thanks to Bucky's direct teaching method. They trained together daily, taking their time to go through the basics, then sparring until someone (Dana) ended up pinned to the mats.

Today, though, Bucky stopped them halfway through a sparring session. She wasn't blocking anything. Her counters were weak, and she wasn't snarking at him between hits.

"What's going on? You seem off today," he commented, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Dana panted and pushed her bangs out of her eyes. He was right...but why on earth would she admit that? "I'm fine. Let's get back to the grind," she replied, irritated.

"I don't think so. You need a break."

"Really. I'm fine."

He raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Dana, really, I know something's wrong. Please--"

"Bucky, back off!" she snapped.

Bucky's eyes widened and he froze for a moment. She never called him by his first name; he was always "Barnes". Always. He watched her narrow brown eyes filled with fire. He admired the way her slightly crooked nose flared. Most of all, he replayed the way she said his name.

He stopped himself. When he realized he was speaking, the words were slow and deliberate, almost alien to his ears. "Look, I can't in good conscience let you keep going. You could get seriously hurt. We're done for today and that's final," he added as she moved to talk. She sighed dejectedly and strode to the showers as angrily as she could.

He was right. She could have hurt herself, and badly at that. _He's never been that concerned before_ , she thought. _I mean, it's not like_ \--

Her thoughts muddled as she was overtaken by nausea. She rushed over to the toilet and knelt down, waiting...but relief never came despite her gagging. She groaned and stormed out--right into Bucky.

She cursed as she bumped into him, hardly able to react in time; he put his hands on her arms to steady her as she swayed. He was worried but couldn't speak. Her tall, thin frame seemed like it would fall right over if he let go.

Dana felt herself slip into a trance when she glanced up and locked eyes with him. His touch was gentle, even from his vibranium arm, his grip much different from his harsh training grabs. She never noticed how pretty his eyes were: a gathering storm of grey, the stoic facade marred with concern.

"You alright?" It was in his voice too. 

She took a second to collect herself. "I think so," she replied weakly. She grimaced a little as another wave of nausea washed over her. "Ummm…well, my stomach is bothering me."

"I have some tea if you're a fan of that. Lemon ginger. Do you want any?"

She felt the color drain from her face and she put a hand over her mouth. "Yes please. I actually ran out," she said.

"I have it in my room. You're welcome to come in, but I'm happy to bring it to you."

"...I'd rather do that."

Bucky nodded and walked with her to the kitchen, keeping his metal arm around her shoulders for support. Which she appreciated because she was getting dizzy. _That's what I get for overworking myself_ , she thought.

He helped her sit on the counter and disappeared, only to come back with a box of lemon ginger tea. It was the same brand she used. He didn't say a word as he brewed her a cup with the electric kettle, and Dana didn't want to break the silence, instead choosing to nibble on a granola bar.

The scent of steeping lemon slowly wafted over to her, the cup of tea quickly following.

"Thank you," she said quietly. She took the cup and held it in her hands, waiting for the water to cool.

Bucky let out a small sigh; "Does this happen often?"

"Does what happen often?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"This whole thing with you getting sick from working too hard," he said, looking over at her as he sat on the counter. She looked down and gave a sharp nod; "Unfortunately."

He stayed quiet for a moment. "Even with him?"

She blew on her tea and sighed loudly; "Especially with him. You knew him; he could make anyone sick with how noble and adorable he was. Plus his workaholic side rubbed off on me," she added with a small smirk.

Bucky chuckled a little, which made her blush. "How did it ever end with you two?" he asked nonchalantly, followed immediately by, "I mean...sorry. You don't have to say anything. Especially since…"

Dana shook her head and took a hesitant sip from her tea. "It's fine. I...I think I need to tell someone other than my sister," she said.

She sighed and leaned her head against the cabinet. "We broke up after the fight. Right after Thor got rid of Thanos' army."

Bucky nodded and Dana took another sip of tea, the gentle kick of ginger working with the warmth to settle her stomach. Steve's sapphire eyes danced in her memory. "I got hurt pretty bad. You know. You were there."

_Her left side burned where the alien soldier had stabbed her. She couldn’t find Steve or Lilly. Hell, she could barely move. She took shelter by some wreckage and used her powers to keep the enemy at bay, shooting them down with blasts of sound. Bucky had jumped down from above her after he had taken down three with a single shot. He protected her as she tried not to panic, as she tried to ignore the pain and blood from her side, as she searched for Steve. And he didn't speak to her, only shooting her the occasional worried, curious glance._

She continued; "Well, Steve spotted me afterwards and asked to talk while he helped me dress it. I...I have never seen him that angry. Honestly, he didn't seem mad though; he seemed...betrayed. He said he was worried sick; why did I fight, why didn't I listen and stay home, why didn't I trust him. I told him...I told him that I wasn't a subordinate and that he needed to talk to me like an adult and not a captain. And I explained myself: how could I stay home if there was no home to go to anymore?"

She saw Bucky's expression shift, but to what she wasn't sure. She gulped; "We exchanged some choice words, then he and Sam carried me to the medbay like nothing happened. But...well, we both knew it was over." She sighed, an attempt to quell the tears that were starting to form. "Right before he left...he told me he’d always love me. I still don’t really know what to make of it...”

There was a long pause. Dana jumped when Bucky gently put a hand on her knee. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I…"

"It's okay," she interjected, wiping her eyes.

"Still. That's a lot."

Another long pause. He continued; "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. I...I can't even imagine what your headspace must be like."

She took the last sip of her tea and grimaced at the taste of pure ginger. "Bucky?"

His eyes met hers; confused, conflicted gray met hazy dark brown. He was blushing; _cute_. She sighed heavily and said, "Thanks for the tea. And the ear."

Bucky opened his mouth to say something, but Sam’s voice ringing out from down the hall interrupted her thoughts. “Dana, get down here quick!”

She set her cup down and rushed off to the briefing room. She swore she heard Bucky sigh as she strode off, her hair billowing behind her like an ebony curtain. When she finally arrived at the briefing room, she was met by a very forlorn Sam. He was holding an envelope labeled with her name in a very familiar script. He handed it to her. Her fingers trembled as she opened it.

It was a letter from Steve. A letter telling her he was sorry, repeating his promise, asking her to keep the fire lit in her. She read it all in his voice, even as her tears smudged the ink. One line made it feel like he was beside her again:

> **You're passionate the way people used to be, back when they loved more because war kept men far from wives and candles burning in the churches.**

She finished reading and she silently tucked the letter back into its envelope. Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "I found it in his room," he said, his voice shaking. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. Thank you, Sam."

***

By the time Bucky decided to investigate, she had rushed past him to her room. There were tears on her face. He went straight to Sam. "Alright, what happened?"

"...a letter from Steve happened."

Bucky couldn't answer. He had gotten one too, found on his pillow after Steve had left. It was how Steve came out to him and declared his long-lasting love and appreciation for him.

He cleared his tightening throat. "Let's give her some space. I'll see if Lilly can go bug her in an hour."

"Why not do it yourself, lover boy?" Sam asked.

Bucky glanced away. "I'm...not the right person for that right now. Besides, we already talked--

"Wait. Hold up. Did she tell you what happened with them?"

Bucky nodded. Sam sighed and snaked a hand around his waist. "Well, at least someone around here knows what the hell is happening. I hope she's alright," 

"You and me both, bird brain."


	3. First Mission

July finally swooped in, bringing with it the raging Northeast storms and a milestone in Dana's training.

"Now, I know you're anxious to get to the field, Dana," Sam said.

Dana yawned loudly; "Yeah, I am, but why the hell did you wake me up at six in the morning, Wilson?"

"Because today's the day."

The objective was simple: drop into a secluded forest near the Montana-Canada border (which was Stark property, of course), take down the malfunctioning training bots, and report back for further instructions. The bots weren't using lethal protocol, so there shouldn't be any issues. Dana nodded slowly and rubbed her eyes as she was briefed.

"You can sleep on the plane," Sam said. "But there's still the matter of who's accompanying you into the wilds."

"And who would that be, bird brain? You?"

She smirked as Sam blushed, but it quickly faded as he chuckled. "Nope. You'll be going with Barnes."

_Shit._

Bucky entered the briefing room seemingly on cue. Dana tried to tear her eyes away from his blue leather jacket that fit his torso like a glove; he had ripped off the left sleeve to make room for his arm, though the hem was done professionally. The popped collar looked terrible, but it suited him, and his black jeans and boots balanced out the ridiculousness. His gray eyes burned with sleep deprivation and made his intimidating stature incredibly effective. The guns he had strapped around his torso and the knives on his thighs tied his look together like a ribbon on a box.

Dana was frozen, but from what she wasn't sure. Time was meaningless-- that is, until Sam called to her; "Ummm, Earth to Dana? You still there?"

She shook her head and looked to him with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I guess I zoned out."

"Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically. "Are you two ready then?"

Bucky didn't answer. Dana gave a short nod. She didn't want to look at him in her ensemble. She shyly pulled down her sleeveless dark grey top to try and obscure the new definition on her pale stomach; she swore she saw him blush out of the corner of her eye. She walked with him to the plane and mentally noted that her black and gray pants were getting rather tight on her thighs. _Damn, I just got these._ At least her knee-high black boots were still comfortable. She checked the straps on the knife holster on her thigh as they boarded, but quickly stopped herself.

She didn't say anything as she rushed back to the Avengers arsenal. She reached into her locker and pulled out the black sheath, edged with gold paint and wrapped in a jade saya.

She got back to the plane to find Sam waiting by the door, arms crossed. "And what did you forget?" he said crossly. Dana didn't respond, instead choosing to push past him and that stupid smirk into the holding area. She sat down and lay the dagger across her knees before sighing and closing her eyes, allowing her thoughts and exhaustion to blanket her.

She was on the edge of sleep when she felt a presence beside her. She opened her eyes and looked up; Bucky was holding a can of extra strength coffee in each hand. He sat down a few seats away and offered her one, which she gladly took.

"Thanks. I didn't realize you were a coffee guy."

"Occasionally," he replied, popping the pull tab. Dana followed suit.

"Who told you that I like this stuff?" she asked, taking a swig.

"Sam did, actually."

Dana smirked when she saw a ghost of a blush pass across his cheeks; "Sure he did," she said sarcastically.

Bucky rolled his eyes and silently drank his coffee as they got ready for takeoff.

The pair had a silent flight, but only after a rocky ascent that featured Dana white-knuckling her seat. She took the down time to carefully polish her tanto and her favorite tactical knife, a straight blade designed for stabbing and slashing. She occasionally glanced up to see Bucky doing the same. She noticed that he had four knives strapped to him: two straight blades on his right thigh and two with tanto tips and curved handles strapped to his back. The knives on his thighs were entirely black, which contrasted the ones on his back, which had silver blades and black woven leather on the handles.

"What type of knives do you have?" she asked quietly.

Bucky looked up from polishing one of his black blades. "Gerber blades. All of them. This one's from the seventies. The curved ones are more modern," he replied.

She smiled softly; "They're super sweet."

"I had no idea you were a knife girl, doll," he said with a small smirk.

Dana's cheeks went red as she saw his eyes glint with unfamiliar playful energy; _doll? Real stereotypical_. She fumbled with the hilt across her knees, but she finally extracted her freshly-polished tanto. "I'm still learning, but I'm definitely a knife girl. Japanese knives and swords are what I'm proficient in since that's what I first learned to use."

She held out the tanto for him to admire, and admire he did. She watched the way his eyes flicked around the shining silver blade. The blade's _hira_ point gleamed, ready to pierce an enemy's armor. Her family's kanji, carved into the handle and filled with jade, gleamed in contrast with the black hide. He reached his metal hand out; his pointer finger ran from hilt to tip, studying the crevices and folds, pausing at the lotus that was etched into the metal at the base of the blade.

"Is this legal?" he suddenly asked.

She chuckled; "What on earth do you mean by that? Of course, it's legal."

"I thought…"

She raised her hand before sheathing her blade. "Now stop right there, Barnes," she said, listening to the metal slide against the hilt. "I'm third generation Japanese American on my dad's side. This was his and he passed it down to me." Bucky nodded; Dana saw relief dart in his eyes. "Besides, who's going to try and arrest me with this thing?" she added with a smirk.

She blushed brightly when he actually smirked back.

She finally leaned back and closed her eyes after she finished polishing. She felt like she scarcely closed them before Sam was calling for them. It was time to drop.


	4. In The Field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: There are PG descriptions of dead bodies in this chapter. I will add a recap at the end for individuals who aren't keen on fainting or bodies.

Sam flew them down one at a time, Bucky being the first on the ground (not without snapping at Sam to not drop him first). Dana couldn't help but stare at the sleek metallic wings strapped to his back, the silver nearly glowing in the sun. He put his arms around her, then suddenly paused.

"Dana," he said quietly. She looked into his worried eyes and he sighed heavily "Promise me you'll call if anything goes wrong?" he asked, his normally cocky tone gone.

Dana chuckled and smiled to her friend; "I promise, you worry wort."

He smirked and tightened his grip as he swooped out from the plane's hold, keeping her pressed to him as he did a roll in the sky before heading down to the ground. He gently set her down beside Bucky and went over the objectives one more time before soaring back to the plane.

Dana met Bucky's eye and saw the serious super soldier he was during training. The playful glint he had earlier was replaced with something more deliberate and cunning, something ready to pull a trigger. This was the Bucky that cracked concrete and knocked her down like a training dummy.

"Let's head out," he finally said.

Dana nodded and pulled up her mask; it was grey, like her suit, and covered her mouth and nose like a balaclava. The outside featured a woven pattern of gold and black that worked to hide a series of wires and a small speaker, all connected wirelessly to her glove so she could change and amplify her voice. She frowned when Bucky suddenly looked away from her.

"Are...you okay?" she asked slowly.

"I'm fine. Let's get going. We have quite a walk--"

Dana heard twigs snap heavily to their right and drew her combat knife as he grabbed out a pistol. The uneasy silence afterward made her shudder; not a single animal could be heard, and the air was stagnant, heavy with humidity and tension.

Suddenly, a whisper from her partner. "Let's move."

The pair began to walk north, each step calculated, every moment listening for anything around them. She tried to not get distracted by how uncomfortable her top was getting with the heat. _How is it this hot already?_ She followed Bucky's muzzle as he swept a semicircle in front of them every ten steps. Always every ten, clearly a routine. She took these opportunities to look behind them. _Not even any bugs out_ , she thought as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

Dana heard another crack and whipped to her left.

Her heart stopped. Something was in the ground cover, stationary, covered in blood. Bucky suddenly spoke; "Don't move," he said quietly. He slowly approached the mass, and he turned his head away once he was next to it.

That was when she noticed the jeans, the sweatpants, and the mop of blond hair. "S-Shit..."

"Don't come any closer. It's a kid. Looks like he was shot."

Dana's blood was running cold, her heart started pounding in her ears. Everything started to fade until Bucky gently touched her shoulder and helped her lean back against a tree. She instinctively reached back to grab around the trunk, taking deep breaths as she did so.

"Never seen a body, huh?" he asked softly.

"N-No," she replied shakily, pulling her mask down.

"You don't really get used to it." There was that gentle tone again. "Even after so many…" He trailed off for a moment. "Anyways. You okay? You're really pale."

Dana nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah. I never was a fan of blood. Plus...you know." She took a deep breath and started walking north with him again. "But I think--shit, there's another body."

This body was laying face-down in the brush around fifty yards away from his counterpart. She could barely make out where the bullets hit him in the back of his black hoodie; that was when she turned away to center herself once more. Bucky gave her a concerned look. "Rounds?" she asked.

"Automatic. 5.56 millimeter, which is standard."

"Something's not right here," she remarked quietly.

More cracking. Bucky clicked the safety off right as two Stark Enterprises training bots appeared from beyond the trees. Their appearance reminded Dana of the later _Terminator_ films with their chrome exterior and red eyes. The only difference was that these were run by a very specific algorithm that had three modes: Subdue, Destroy, and Off. And right now they were on Destroy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Dana and Bucky drop and discover all is not as it seems. It it eerily silent, they stumble across two bodies, and they are suddenly met by the training bots in their Destroy protocol


	5. In The Fray

Dana raised her right hand and directed a sound beam at one as Bucky downed the other with a single shot to the head. Two more appeared from the hill behind the bodies, but were quickly disabled: one each. She ducked behind a large rock with Bucky and listened for a moment over her adrenaline-fueled heartbeat. She had been in fights, plenty of them, but never against machines.

"I'm hearing others coming from the west," she said quietly. He nodded and motioned for her to follow. As they emerged, she felt sharp localized pains in her thigh. She cried out as she stumbled to her knees.

Then came the burning sensation. That was when she realized she was shot. She counted four wounds total. She began to swim in syrup, at least until she felt his hands on her back again. Was he helping her up, or trying to push her down?

He suddenly pushed her to her stomach. More shots followed; he fell limp against her back, his weight on the left side of her body making her cry out.

"Bucky?!"

"Dana…" His voice was weak, weaker than she had ever heard before.

Colors suddenly bled together and a hot rage filled her chest. She aimed and sent a sound wave directly at two bots to their right, sending their gun-mounted arms flying out. Another beam to their left sent a metallic head flying towards a tree where it shattered into shrapnel. She heard three more before she saw them; two of them were taken down by Bucky's handiwork.

The last one slowly approached the pair, its arm poised for a double kill. Dana felt Bucky's hot breath on her neck as she tried to figure out what to do, considering she knew he couldn't reload. She sighed a little when she didn't hear anything unusual. _Nothing in his lungs. Good._ She took aim with her combat knife and threw. It hit the bot square in the head; she watched the red eyes flicker before it finally collapsed.

She panted. _They weren't supposed to be trying to kill us. Did Sam lie to us? No, stop that, Dana, he wouldn't do that. We need to--_ Her train of thought was disturbed when Bucky spoke.

"You alright?" he asked breathlessly.

"I'm fine. You?" she replied, feeling her stomach knot up with his reply:

"I'm hit pretty bad."

"Yeah you don't say. Can you move?"

He grunted as she felt his body weight shift off of her and she sat up, wincing. They were scarcely five feet from the rock that had sheltered them. She slowly reached into her pocket, withdrew a few quick-clotting kits, and began tending to her wounds. _All exit wounds. Which means no bullets...that was what Strange said, right?_ "Barnes...make sure I don't hurt myself if I faint," she said, shuddering at how shakey she sounded.

She winced as she cleaned off her wounds with antiseptic wipes before she covered them with the quick-clotting agent. She took deep breaths, moving slowly, focusing only on the small circles he was making on her shoulder. She relaxed once she finished the tedious cleaning process.

"Alright, how are you holding up back there? I have some more of these," she asked quietly.

"I'm alright for now. The bleeding stopped."

Dana tried to stand and grunted as she fell back down, now nearly on top of him. She gasped for breath and moved to prop up next to him as she said, "We...we need to call Sam." She touched her left ear. Her com was silent. No signal. "...my com's dead. Is yours working?"

"Nope. Might be jammed." He tapped on the earpiece. "Falcon, this is Barnes. Do you copy?" He grimaced; Dana could hear the static from where she sat to his right. "Definitely jammed."

"...great." She furrowed her brow and looked to her lap for a moment. "I have my phone but we're near the border, so signal is spotty at best. Can we try to scavenge a transmitter off of one of the bots? No...I can't agitate the radio waves in my state...we should grab the radio transmitter anyways since someone is probably controlling these things..."

Dana saw the cyborg gears Sam described go to work in Bucky's head. "We can figure something out," he said gruffly. He managed to drag himself over to the robot that held her knife, which he yanked out with ease. He also located the radio chip and pocketed it.

"Let me check if there's a signal. If not, we can try to hack a robo-radio." She reached for her phone, which was thankfully unharmed. "Oh thank god, there's one bar. Do you know how these work, old man?"

His glare in response was all she needed as he settled down by her side. "I need you to operate it while I hone in." She unlocked her phone and opened Sam's contact info before closing her eyes. "Dial once it gets a signal. Put him on speaker."

Dana listened carefully for the distant but all-too-familiar whine of a cell tower. Static overtook her body as she isolated and amplified the frequency.

Sam's voice came through after an uncomfortable pause; he'd picked up before it could ring. "Dana? Dana, what's going on down there?"

"Hey, Wilson," Bucky responded.

"Woah hey what's going on? Where's snippy?" She smiled a little; _oh Sam_.

"She's getting us a signal. Listen, the bots were in lethal mode. Someone's controlling them. We also found...well, I think a couple of kids were fucking around...they didn't make it."

"Shit man," Sam interjected.

"We got them neutralized, but Dana's hurt pretty bad and I took a few rounds myself. We need to get out of here."

"No can do. Shit's gone down and I'm stuck fighting further south. I've been trying to get a hold of you--anyways can you guys walk?" An explosion sounded in the background, followed by Tony's voice.

"We can definitely try," Bucky replied. Dana started to tremble, her heart beating harder than usual.

"Alright. There's an emergency cabin about two miles east of you. It's stocked with medical supplies, water, food. Soonest I can get down is tomorrow morning."

Bucky groaned and she bit her lip to keep herself focused. "Sam," she said weakly. "Don't be stupid, alright?"

"Will do. You two stay safe. Try to update as soon--"


	6. Aftermath

The call dropped and Dana dropped her phone from her shaking fingers into her lap. She panted and tried to focus on not throwing up; the feeling of his cool metal hand on her back helped bring her back to reality.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." She gulped and blushed as he started up his small circles again. "I've never held a signal for that long before. It…that was intense."

"Take your time. We have all day."

She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes as the world spun around her for a few minutes. She wanted to puke, cry, and sleep all at once. But the cool circles calmed everything down.

"What time is it?" she asked after a while.

"Two o'clock. On the dot." He began to move, but stopped with a hiss.

 _It's only been two hours?_ "We need to get to the cabin. It's not safe out here," she said as she dragged herself up, being careful to keep weight off of her left leg as she leaned back against the rock. She grabbed out a sleeve of gauze and hastily wrapped her thigh, wincing as she brushed the wounds.

She tied a quick knot and quickly turned her attention to Bucky as he tried to get up from the ground. He had propped himself up on an adjacent tree stump. His rib was bleeding; _I thought they were all in his shoulder_. She got out the clotting agent and antiseptic wipes as she gently forced him back to the ground, ignoring her instinct to panic.

"Don't force yourself. You need to let it clot," she told him, handing him a cloth to help with his rib. "Here, let's get that patched."

"Go right ahead, nurse," Bucky said hoarsely.

Dana blushed and cleared her throat. She counted eight shots: seven in his right shoulder and one bleeding a few inches below. "How does your chest feel?" she asked delicately.

"Fine. Lucky that they're all clean shots and I don't think anything vital was hit."

She frowned and began to treat his back. She felt him tense up under her touch; her heart ached when he winced and cursed under his breath. "Sorry…"

He interrupted her; "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I just...I'm so inexperienced. What if I end up causing more damage?"

"There's nothing you can do to make it worse, Dana. Trust me." His voice was soft again; there wasn't a trace of Badass Bucky. She couldn't bring herself to respond.

She finally finished cleaning everything up and she applied the clotting agent. "Alright. It's done until we can get somewhere safer."

He slowly hoisted himself up; his eyes widened as she put an arm around his waist and helped him to his feet. He braced himself on her with his metal arm, making her grunt.

"Sorry, doll," he said quietly.

She blushed again. "It's fine. Just heavy. It's not like we have any other options." She slowly began to walk with him, her strides short, staggered, and deliberate.

Suddenly, he spoke, his voice hoarse with either pain or concentration: "You really shouldn't be walking."

"And you shouldn't be moving at all! Yet we're both hobbling to a cabin in the middle of nowhere," she shot back. She blushed brightly as he chuckled.

"Yeah, you're right. You know, you're starting to sound like Sam," he said with a smirk.

"S-So? God you're insufferable! No wonder Steve liked you so much--"

She quickly looked away but Bucky responded just as fast.

"Yeah it's no wonder."

She tried to focus on walking, but noted that mentioning her ex's name seemed to shatter a barrier between them. Her thigh burned with the slightest twitch, but she kept her head up and continued to hobble east with him. The sun beat down on her hair and made her head feel like it was on fire.

"You know...this reminds me of something," he said after a long while.

"Yeah?"

Bucky smiled wistfully. "One time, when Steve and I were teenagers, he decided to get into a fight with six or seven guys. They knocked the snot out of him--until I came along, of course. I had to drag him home just like this."

"...yep. That sounds like Steve alright."

"How did you end up meeting him?" he asked quietly.

Dana stopped moving for a moment to adjust her grip around his torso. "Well...long story short, I ran into him. And I fell and cracked my forehead on a corner." She sighed and winced as she stumbled on a rock. "He helped me get cleaned up and all that jazz. I remember...well, my boyfriend at the time cornered us and was asking him all sorts of questions. 'Why are you touching my girlfriend, what's your problem', that sort of thing. Steve stood his ground with him and explained everything. That was the only time I had ever seen...him...back off of someone."

"How did you two end up together then?"

It took a moment for Dana to answer; the burning grew and she was feeling weak. "We got together a couple of years after the snap. I moved upstate with everyone else; he said he hated the thought of me living alone after everything. I joined a small group and invited him to a performance-"

"Wait," he interrupted. "Performances? Do you sing?"

She laughed breathlessly. "Oh GOD no! I was the principal clarinet player for the New York Philharmonic for nearly six seasons until the snap. After that I stayed with local groups. I wish I had the time to play..."

She blushed brightly and quickly looked down to the ground. "Steve came to a performance and took me out to dinner afterward. We stayed together after that."

"And how long did it take for him to finally kiss you?" he asked teasinsaid

"He kissed me on the first date," she said with a smirk.

She laughed as Bucky's eyes went wide. "You're joking. Are you sure you're talking about Steve? As in, Steve Rogers?"

She continued laughing. "Same man. He said it usually took him weeks to get the courage up."

"Forget weeks, it used to take him MONTHS to ask out a dame, and he kissed you on night one?"

Dana looked away and helped him rest against a tree trunk. "So that would mean…?" she started, raising an eyebrow.

Bucky chuckled. "It means that little punk finally figured his shit out.

"Or it means he lost his marbles," she retorted.

Bucky cracked a small smile.


	7. A Safe Place

The pair continued to reminisce as they walked east, even as they stopped to let Dana rest her trembling legs. But the stories slowly faded and were replaced with fatigue. The air was hot and sticky, attracting flies and mosquitoes to them like honey. Dana's head was pounding. Her eyes ached from the sun. Her wounds burned.

Eventually, a gray mass appeared in the forest ahead, obscured by bushes and low-hanging branches. The pair began to hobble faster. Blazing a trail through the thicket was a breeze with their knives.

They were greeted with hesitant arms by faded gray vinyl siding, a tin roof coated with several years worth of branches, and silver gutters that were choking on leaves. The front door was metal painted in peeling white; Bucky quickly threw the unlocked door open, his pistol drawn and pain in his eyes…

The cramped one-room cabin reeked of dust and long-lost memories. To the left of the door, surrounded by plenty of wood, was a fireplace with a rustic red brick hearth. There were two narrow windows framed by dusty curtains of an indiscernible color. The back wall held two rickety metal shelves that were full of camping meals, jugs of distilled water, and first aid supplies aplenty. The peeling wallpaper had plenty of sunbleached spots, but it was mainly a yellowing-white field with red and purple flowers; Dana thought it must have been lovely when it was first put up. The grey-blue vinyl flooring sighed as she took a shaky step inside, Bucky doing his best to support her.

"Wow this place is a wreck, huh?" he remarked. She couldn't answer; her throat was tightening and she was seeing double.

There was a squashed-looking royal green futon in front of the fireplace, a warm and inviting spot in the Northeastern woods and a stark contrast to the dust and hostility around it. Bucky propped Dana up against the wall and hobbled over to the futon. He took his pulling off the faded green cushions and pillows one by one. Then, in one sudden swoop, he threw the creaky rusty metal frame open with his artificial arm, revealing a surprisingly clean mattress. She heard him sigh with relief; "Looks like we really are alone he--woah, you okay?"

She was white, swaying, unable to answer as her vision went black.

Then...his voice. Soft. Raspy. "Dana?"

The syrup started to clear as she opened her eyes. Her head was propped up on something.

"Are you okay?" Bucky was hovering above her, his grey eyes peppered with pain.

"Did I pass out on you? I'm sorry--"

"No, don't be. You lost a lot of blood. But this looks like a case of heat exhaustion and dehydration."

"...does coffee at six AM count as hydration?"

Bucky furrowed his brow; "Absolutely not." He sighed as he eased himself off the edge of the futon. She was laying down on it with the pillows beneath her head and feet, her shirt slightly unzipped in the back. She felt heavy and shuddered at how clammy she was.

"Alright, Sleeping Beauty, it looks like we have two kinds of electrolytes: Awful Lemon or Even Worse Berry," Bucky said grumpily. Dana couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh.

"I pass out on you and you're trying to crack a joke?" She paused. "Lemon sounds fine."

She watched him sit on the floor next to her with a metal cup in one hand, a jug of water in the other, and a packet between his teeth. Her stomach flipped over onto itself;  _ keep it together, Dana. _

He poured the powder into the cup and added water; "Drink this. But not too quickly." Bucky helped her prop up against the futon's arm and handed her the cup, which she slowly took with shaking fingers. "How long was I out?" she asked.

"A few minutes at most. You went white and when I got to you, you were ice cold."

She took a sip of the electrolyte fluid and grimaced. Bucky chuckled; "I told you it was awful."

"Trust me, I'm VERY familiar with these." She shook her head and took a big gulp, swallowing with a shudder. "And I will never get used to it."

"At least it's not an IV."

"Yeah. I've had too many in my lifetime."

Bucky couldn't help but smile faintly. "Yeah, I feel you on that one."

She blushed and she took another gulp that made her gag. The resulting frown from Bucky made her stomach knot up more than it already was. Still, she managed to guzzle it down without getting sick. As she drank, she watched Bucky clean himself up. He shed his leather jacket to reveal a black short-sleeved undershirt. He took his time as he dabbed his wounds with an antibacterial wipe. She could see him muttering curses to himself. Meanwhile, she started pondering the day's events.

The words came out before she realized she was speaking. "...why did you save me? You could have taken out every bot by yourself."

"I'm not the type of guy to hog all the fun for myself." He winced and threw the used wipe and its wrapper into a plastic bag beside him.

"And you still could have finished the mission and let me stay on the ground."

"Not when it was aiming for you, I wasn't."

She couldn't respond. He kept talking; "It's my job to keep you alive."

"But what about you?"

No answer. She sighed annoyed. "You need to stay alive too. This is OUR mission. Not mine. Not yours." She paused and looked at him. She couldn't read the expression on his face, but his eyes were wider than usual. "Anyways...uh…thanks for saving me again. I owe you one."

"You don't."

"Goddamnit Barnes just let me thank you!"

"And I'm telling you that it's not necessary!"

"I can see why Sam left that mark on your neck. You're a brat."

"How did you kno--HE DID WHAT?!"


	8. Recovering and Remembering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I wanted to add this on the 10th for Bucky's birthday but I got sidetracked.
> 
> Just a heads up: there is heavily implied sex in this chapter.

"That jerk," Bucky murmured as he ran his finger over the hickey at the base of his neck.

It was big for Sam; the edges were still purple despite Bucky's healing factor. He glimpsed the traces of several more with Dana's camera; she had loaned him her phone so he could examine himself while she attended her needs. Thank god he had found a walking stick for her…

He was obsessing over it He didn't belong to Sam; they made that perfectly clear the night before.

Yet, he skipped over the events of the night before. His memory jumped back nearly ninety years. It felt like Steve's lips were still planted on his neck: timid and reserved, yet sparking with passion.

_He placed a hand on his best friend's cheek. Steve looked like he was going to throw up. "Hey now," he said softly. He gave Steve a gentle smile to try and ease the tension. "No judgement here. If you want, you can show me what you know so far. Or we can stop." The more confident of the duo got his breath stolen when his first love and his favorite person stole a sweet, shaky kiss. Before long, his neck was being peppered with gentle nips and bites. They didn't speak; no words could fit in these moments aside from their names._

They never spoke about that single blissful night again. Bucky kept it buried; it was one of his fondest memories and no one else was allowed to know. He was shocked to learn that HE remembered…

Such a stark contrast to his many nights with Sam. He was dominant, gruff, driven, and determined to bring Bucky down a peg. And boy did he deliver...

Then his mind jumped to her. _Why?_ he questioned. It continued down its path anyways. He thought about the way she screwed up her nose as she cleaned herself up, the laugh she rarely let him hear. And he lingered on her voice... was she actually worried about him when he fell? Shit was he--

Bucky leapt out of his whirlwind of emotions when he heard the door swing open. But the storm moved to his chest when he saw her eyes: dark brown, glints of caramel and chestnut, sparkling with life and dashed with determination. _Keep it together_ , he scolded.

"Did I startle you?" she asked.

"No," he lied. He moved to help her over to the futon but she raised a hand in protest as she hobbled inside.

The door squeaked and slammed shut, making her jump. He saw her pain manifest again; that was when he noticed the blue and purple mark by the hem of her top.

"You're hurt…"

"No shit sherlock."

"I mean...you have a bruise, Dana."

She sat down and looked at her stomach. He could see it clearly now: a bruise roughly the size of his fist, centered on her stomach. "Well would you look at that," she said nonchalantly. "Must have happened when we fell."

"I pushed--"

She cut him off again. "It's alright. I think it was from a rock. It's not hurting though, so nothing serious."

He paused. He could feel himself crumbling. Her voice...every word seened calculated, every note musical, and every second he wanted to hear more.

"I'm...glad you're okay then," he finally grumbled.

She blushed and took her long hair out of her ponytail. It tumbled down her neck like a tidal wave. "Yeah. Me too."

There was a pause. Was it too long? He couldn't speak; his mouth had dried up--

He heard a faint rumble of...something. Her face flushed a moment later.

"...Dana was that--?"

"S-Sorry…"

He chuckled softly, relief washing over him. "We need to eat something, don't we?"

"Definitely" she replied, still examining her bruise. "I'm starved."

***

"You don't know how to start a fire?"

"It's been a while okay?!"

Dana sighed, exasperated. "You're lucky I was a girl scout, Barnes. Help me down there."

He carefully eased her onto the floor by the fireplace. She grunted and sat down cross-legged. "Alright. Hand me an awful log and some sticks."

Bucky obliged. She got out her knife and started shaving bark from the log onto the floor. Once she had a sizable kindling pile, she placed it in the fireplace along with some sticks and a couple of logs. Her knife returned to its sheath, and her right hand went into her pocket and withdrew an orange object. She flipped off the cover and struck the exposed end against the hearth, igniting the tinder pile with a shower of sparks.

"...you carry a firestarter?"

"You don't? Hand me a pot and some water, will you?"

 _Should have expected that,_ Bucky thought as he scoured the shelves. He finally found a small pot, which he handed to her along with a gallon of water. She took them with a nod of thanks, filled the pot, and put it on the provided spit. Her fire quickly turned into a comfortable inferno.

He cleared his throat. "Do you...have a preference in food?"

She looked up to him and pushed some hair behind her ear. His stomach leapt a foot to the left. "Something with chicken?" she said. _Did her voice go up in pitch?_

"Lots of chicken up here. How does chicken and rice sound?" he asked. She nodded and eased herself backwards towards the futon. He grabbed two packages of freeze-dried chicken and rice and sat down beside her. He tried not to let the sharp pain from his shoulder show on his face as he leaned back.

He knew she noticed something when she said, "Take it easy. You've done more than enough." He locked eyes with her; man, he wished he could get lost in them. "I...ummm…"

"You made the same face you make when Sam says something stupid. I figured something was wrong."

"...can you read thoughts or something?"

She giggled. "Nope. You just have a very expressive resting bitch face."

Bucky bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. "Good to know," he choked. She laughed for him instead.


End file.
